Toronto Raptors Offseason: 2017 Summer League and NBA Draft

Have no fear, your Toronto Raptors will be back in action very soon. The team announced Thursday that it would once again be participating in the Las Vegas Summer League. This is the 10th consecutive year that the Raptors will partake in the annual summer showcase. Toronto will play against New Orleans on July 7th, Minnesota on July 8th and, Denver on July 10th.

Although the roster has not yet been announced, it seems logical to assume that Jakob Poeltl along with D-League Finals MVP Pascal Siakam will be on the it. Fred VanVleet is also another player who is likely to join the Raptors in Vegas. Lastly, do not be surprised if Delon Wright gets some court time as well. Wright played very well in just 27 regular season and 9 Playoff games and, Raptors management as well as coaching staff are likely very encouraged by his development thus far. Getting more game action this summer could be just what Delon Wright needs to further develop his game.

Draft Day rapidly approaching

Thursday June 22nd marks the date of the 2017 NBA Draft. The Toronto Raptors hold the 23rd overall selection in the first round. Currently, it is unclear what direction the Raptors may go in during the upcoming draft and, the upcoming offseason. Another issue the Raptors may face is that there probably will not be an NBA ready player available at the 23rd selection. This means that whomever the Raptors select will be a project prospect who will need time to develop. Assuming that Toronto is still in “win now” mode a draft and develop scenario is not that far fetched. Plus, with the recent success of Raptors 905, adding to an already deep prospect group will not be an issue.

Trading the pick is also another possibility. Although the return likely would not be very large, Raptors management may decide to get creative and either trade the pick entirely or, trade up in the Draft. Masai Ujiri always seems to be prepared for every scenario which means that a mid draft trade is definitely not out of the picture. You can add the Raptors NBA Draft plans into an offseason already chalk-full of uncertainties.

As promised, things are about to heat up again for the Toronto Raptors. Free Agency beings on July 1st and NBA Summer League tips off July 7th however, it all beings NBA Draft. You can catch the Draft on Thursday June 22nd at 7:00 pm EST.